Improvement in the manufacture of illuminating-gas



A. P. SIJUTHWIBK.

Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.

N0. 142,289( Patented August 26,1873.

' Figure 1.

' FFICE.

STATES grate-bar.

plify the apparatus for the manufacture of remove all of the carbonio oxide contained ALFRED" P. 'SOUTHWIOIQ OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF lLLUMlNATlNG-GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,289, dated ugust 26, 1873; application filed June 30, 1873;

To all whom it mayconcera:

Be it known that I, ALFRED P. SoU'rnwIox, of the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Illuminating-Gas; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure I is a plan view of the entire apparatus. Fig. II is a vertical longitudinal section through the decomposing-cupola on line X X, Fig. I. Y shows an enlarged view of the The object of my invention is, rst, to similluminating gas from superheated steam; and, second, to remove all the impurities from the gas and retain all of the inflammable gases generated from the materials used; and the invention consists, first, in the combination and peculiar relative arrangement shown of the boiler, the decomposing-cupola, the governing-holder, the carbureting apparatus, and the cold-lime purifiers, vsecond in the manufacture of carbureted-water gas by alternately passing superheated steam and atmospheric air through incandescent carbon contained in the decomposing-cupola, the gas madefrom the former being conducted into the governing-holder, from which'it is forced through the carbureting-vessel and fixing-retorts, and inally through the purifiers" charged with hydrate of lime, andthe latter passing through the fire and out through a previously-opened passage into the atmosphere, for the purpose of bringing the fire to the necessary intensity for properly decomposing the succeeding jets of superheated steam.

In the manufacture of carbureted-water gas it has heretofore been considered essential to therein (amounting to from thirty to forty per cent.) by converting it into carbonio-acid gas, and then removing the result of this convertion, (carbonio-acid gas,) which is a practical impossibility. In view of this fact and the additional fact that about forty per cent. of carbonio oxide in carbureted-hydrogen gas adds to the candle-light power of the gas, instead of deteriorating therefrom, the object of my invention is to generate the minimum percentage of carbonio-acid gas and the maximum percentage of iniiammable gases to retain all of the latter, including the carbonio oxide, and freeing it after carburation of all the impurities, including carbonio acid, of which there are from two to four per cent. sulphureted hydrogen, the quantity of which will vary with the quality of coal used in the decomposing-cupola, and all of the free atoms of tar carried through the washers. This I accomplish by conducting the gases after they have been carbureted and washed through purifiers charged with hydrate of lime.

Like letters of reference designate like parts in each of the figures.

.A is a steam-boiler of ordinary construction, in which the steam is generated. B is the decomposing-cupola, having one or more hollow grate-bars, b b, into which the steam from the boiler is conduct-ed through pipes a a. b b are small holes, through which the superheated steam passes from the superheating grate-bars into and through the body of incandescent carbon, by which it is decomposed. The oxygen in thesteam, uniting with the carbon of the coal, sets the hydrogen free. Gis a condenser,

` into which the gases are conducted from the decomposing-cupola through a pipe, c. D is a small gas-holder or governing-reservoir, into which the gas is conducted, and from which it passes through a pipe, e, into the carbureter E, consisting of a shell or vessel containing i shelves or shallow pans lled with liquid hyn `drocarbon. The gas in passing over these pans bination of gases is now conducted through a pipe, 7L, into and through one or more purifiers, H H, charged with hydrate of lime, by which the gas is freed of all its impurities, leaving only carbureted hydrogen and carbonio oxide, both of which are iniiammable, to be carried to the distributing-holder. The passage of the superheated steam through the incandescent carbon (coal) in the decomposing-cupola has the effect to deaden or extinguish the tire, and then, being another means of keeping it alive, it becomes necessary to allow a current of atmospheric air to pass through it. This I accomplish by occasionally closing the communication between the boiler and the decompos` ing`cupola, and between the decomposing-cupola and the condenser; also, opening a pas sage to the atmosphere from the upper portion of the cupola, and allowing a free tlow of atmospheric air to enter beneath the grate-bars and pass up through the body of the fire. By this means the ire is again brought to the necessary intensity. During this operation the governingholder D performs its impor tant office of keeping up the Carburation and purification of the gas contained therein, it being of suftlcient weight to keep a constant How of gas through the carbureting apparatus and the purifiers. rlhe ends of the hollow grate-bars b are east only partially closed, steam being admitted thereto through the upper half, the lower halt' being stopped oli1 so as to form a trough,wherein the water formed by the condensation of steam can accumulate and be vaporized.

Having thus described my invention7 what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the steam-boiler A, decomposing-cupola B, governingholder D, carbureting apparatus E F F, and the purifiers H H, all being arranged substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The process herein described for making earbureted-water gas by alternately passing confined currents of superheated steam and free currents of atmospheric air through incandescentI carbon contained in the decomposing-cupola, the gas made from the steam alone being conducted into a governing-holder, from which it is forced through a vessel containing liquid hydrocarbon at a low temperature to be carbureted, and through one or more highly-heated retorts, in which it is fixed, and finally through one or more purifiers charged with hydrate of lime, by which the gas is freed of all its impurities.

VVitnesses: A. l?. SOUTHWICK.

E. M; JEwErr, VICTOR H. BECKER. 

